The present disclosure relates to a system and method for determining seat occupancy in a select space by detecting and/or recognizing sitting behavior. The disclosure can find application, for example, in a classroom setting; however, the teachings made herein are amenable to other like applications and settings.
A measurement of settle-down time in any environment requiring persons be seated, such as a classroom or an airplane, etc., is one important metric in determining the efficiency of any activity that requires the person(s) be seated to proceed. For instance, seat occupancy information and patterns, measured for any indoor environment, such as, airplanes, cinemas, offices, meeting rooms and houses, or outdoor environment, such as a stadium, can be useful in optimizing the performance of various venues. This information is also useful for other purposes, such as identifying remaining occupants in evacuations.
One method for detecting seat occupancy in a vehicle uses capacitive sensor technology. However this approach requires that well-designed hardware sensors be installed in the seats. The high cost of sensors and human labor makes the sensor-based approach expensive and difficult to implement, and potentially ineffective in an indoor classroom or office environment.
A method for detecting occupancy is desired which requires no expensive training and hardware sensors.